A Long Neglected Damper in the El Niño-Typhoon Relationship: a 'Gaia-Like' Process

Description:

The Gaia hypothesis suggests that earth has a self-regulating ability to maintain a stable condition for life. There is a positive process to promote Tropical Cyclones (TC)s to achieve higher intensity. It was unknown if a negative 'Gaia-like' process that weakens TCs also existed. Here researchers show that during El Niño, typhoons intensify over region undergoing strong ocean subsurface shoaling where upper ocean heat content can drop by 20-50%. This 'worsen' ocean pre-condition can effectively reduce ocean's energy supply for typhoon intensification during typhoon-ocean interaction. [Source: Scientific Reports]